The present invention relates to improvements in the art of producing "natural" cereal and snack-type food products which are customarily aggregated as a plurality of assorted particles ranging from cereal grains to nutmeats and may also include fruit associated therewith. Such products have grown in popularity in the marketplace by reason of their representation of old fashioned and natural goodness; this manufacture stems in large measure from the ability to incorporate conventional cereal constituents such as rolled oats, wheat germ, and nutmeats such as almonds as well as dried coconut together with fats and oils which are flavorfully combined with less refined sugars such as dark brown sugar.
Whereas the earlier entry into the market in recent times was simply a dry blend of a good tasting crunchy cereal (e.g. granola), the esthetic organoleptic limitations of such a product have prompted others to endeavor to aggregate cereal components. This aggregation has taken the form of blends of cereal grain by-products having various eating textures but many accompanying disadvantages.
To illustrate, a forerunner in the current "natural" cereal market was a semi-agglomerated ready-to-eat cereal of rolled oats, brown sugar, wheat germ and flavors with raisins separately mixed; in lieu of raisins, other constituents such as coconut could be similarly mixed. Such semi-agglomeration was effected by means of a mixture of sugar syrup and defatted wheat germ which served to effect partial adhesion of the rolled oats into a relatively non-uniform, randomized distribution of agglomerates. This agglomerate is characterized by the rather prolonged period required for mastication and leaves an objectionable filling sensation after consumption.
Similar products whether high in rolled oats or in levels of fat, syrup or moisture have related limitations. Thus, an agglomeration of natural cereals may be comparatively dense and when possessing a high level of rolled oats or the like are prone to collect on and adhere to the crown of the tooth, particularly when eaten dry out-of-hand, an eating characteristic found objectionable by some.
It would be desirable to provide an agglomerated assortment of natural cereal and nutmeat particles which has a lower density and a unique texture that permits the product to be masticated with ease and in a relatively short period of time. The mouthful of such a product should advantageously occupy a spoonful without being inordinately high in density and leading to an uncomfortable filling sensation upon consumption.
In meeting these product requisites, it is a desired and preferred object of the invention that the product be at packagable moisture contents whereat the effects of rancidity are not encountered. It is preferred to have a stable, crisp, less chewy agglomerated natural cereal product such as is afforded at moisture levels below 5% -- say in the order of 2%, where the product also has an overall pleasant taste, both when eaten dry and when consumed upon liquid milk addition.
It is another object of the invention to provide moderate levels of fat and sugar to meet intended balanced recipe dictates while at the same time permitting aggregating techniques which provide a relatively complete and reasonably uniform agglomerate; a specific object of the invention is to provide a heterogeneous agglomerate which has a relatively uniform particle size. Agglomeration of prior natural cereal mixtures may provide random or erratic particle size distributions which may stem from the means of dry particles aggregation with amounts of fat and sugar. Then again, such products may assume a condition after packaging which is non-uniform, e.g. fine particles segregate to the bottom of the package with clusters of caked agglomerates collecting at the top due to disintegration during shipment of the packaged goods. Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a uniformly agglomerated cereal mixture which substantially retains its structure when packaged.
The term "cereal mixtures" herein connotes mixtures of whole grains and by-products such as oat, wheat, wheat germ, flours of like cereal origin and assorted natural balancing ingredients such as subdivided nutmeats, such as coconut and fortifying natural ingredients such as non-fat dry milk solids. In accordance with the present objects, such a mixture should be readily consumable and stable under normal packaging conditions against: premature oxidative rancidity; caking due to moisture uptake; and fragility in packaging; a stable storage period for purposes of the present invention would exceed 6 months at normal room temperature and preferably be at least 9 months.